I’ve been off line for most of the year while I write my sixth novel called Stanley Place. It will be out later in the year. I’m excited to share more with you coming months.
While I haven’t shared any book reviews for a while, I haven’t stopped reading so the reviews will roll out so watch out for them in the coming weeks.
I was recently featured in UK’s magazine, Novelist Post where I talked about my writing journey, how I tackled research, my love of historical fiction and much more.
There are lots of other interesting and informative author stories in the magazine.
A missing man, a stolen baby, and a plot of land where nothing grows. Are they connected? One person knows.
1948: In the seemingly idyllic town of Sugar Creek, Ellen is eager to share the joyous news of her pregnancy with her fiancé Billy. Billy takes on extra work at a local military base, Ellen’s fears grow when he mysteriously vanishes. Her desperate search for answers turns the town against her, placing her life in jeopardy.
2000: Dana, a GP whose career has hit a dead end due to a mistake, finds a lifeline in an unexpected offer from the desperate mayor of Sugar Creek. Upon her arrival, she encounters unexplained health issues among the locals. Her investigation reveals a decades-long conspiracy leading to an environmental disaster, pulling her deeper into the town’s dark history.
🔍 Intense, Page-Turning Mystery: Experience a riveting blend of suspense and historical intrigue.
💔 Profound Emotional Journey: Follow the compelling stories of two strong women across different eras.
🌏 Rich, Atmospheric Setting: Be transported to the hauntingly beautiful landscapes of Sugar Creek.
🔥 Unpredictable Twists and Turns: Every chapter hooks you deeper into the gripping plot.
“The story will grab your attention within the first pages and won’t let go until you turn the last page. It will have your heart beating fast with suspense and you may even find yourself wiping tears from your eyes.” Teresa Collins
“Sugar Creek by S.C. Karakaltsas was one of the best books I’ve read in 2023! When you pick up this book to read, which I highly recommend you all do, set aside a few hours or an afternoon to do so because you will not be able to put it down.” Kymm
“Excellent historical fiction that brings the past and future together, highlighting the wrongs of the past.” Katrina
A missing man, a stolen baby and a plot of land where nothing grows. Are they connected? One person knows.
1948: Sugar Creek seemed such a welcoming town for Ellen, a young woman keen to share the news of her pregnancy with her fiancé Billy. When Billy signs up for extra work testing topical creams at the local military base, to earn money for their wedding, Ellen is nervous. Now it seems her fears were founded. Billy has disappeared. Devastated, Ellen begins to ask questions, turning the locals against her and putting her life at risk as she desperately searches for him.
2000: Instead of beginning her career with a dream job as a GP in a suburban practice, Dana has found herself jobless and facing the hospital board for a mistake she made with a patient. Herb Hipworth, mayor of Sugar Creek, is desperate for a town doctor and makes Dana an offer she can’t refuse. But when Dana arrives in the remote tropical town, she discovers the locals are plagued with unexplained health issues. Now, as she digs for the cause, she stumbles upon a decades-long conspiracy leading to an environmental disaster.
I’m very excited to show you the cover for my new novel which will be released to the big wide world 20 November 2023.
I hope you like the cover by Annie Seaton as much as I do.
Blurb
A missing man, a stolen baby and a plot of land where nothing grows. Are they connected? One person knows.
1948: Sugar Creek seemed such a welcoming town for Ellen, a young woman keen to share the news of her pregnancy with her fiancé Billy. When Billy signs up for extra work testing topical creams at the local military base, to earn money for their wedding, Ellen is nervous. Now it seems her fears were founded. Billy has disappeared. Devastated, Ellen begins to ask questions, turning the locals against her and putting her life at risk as she desperately searches for him.
2000: Instead of beginning her career with a dream job as a GP in a suburban practice, Dana has found herself jobless and facing the hospital board for a mistake she made with a patient. Herb Hipworth, mayor of Sugar Creek, is desperate for a town doctor and makes Dana an offer she can’t refuse. But when Dana arrives in the remote tropical town, she discovers the locals are plagued with unexplained health issues. Now, as she digs for the cause, she stumbles upon a decades-long conspiracy leading to an environmental disaster.
Sugar Creek will be available 20 November 2023 but you can pre-order on Amazon.
Thank you to everyone who has spent time and taken interest in my blog this year. It’s been a privilege to bring you my thoughts on what I’ve read as well as what I’ve been doing.
For some, this time of the year can be difficult and I wish you and your families a safe, happy and healthy time doing what you enjoy the most.
As for me, I’ll be spending Christmas day with my extended family eating an array of seafood, turkey and a variety of salads on what is expected to be a very hot day in Melbourne.
And after that I’m hoping to do what I love best and that is, catch up on some reading and do a bit of writing.
Until next time…
They say time flies but I had no idea how much until I began to look back to 10 March 2016 when I published my debut novel, Climbing the Coconut Tree.
My writing journey began two years earlier when I was inspired to write a fictionalised account of a double murder which occurred on a little-known place called Ocean Island. You can read more about how it started here.
What is Climbing the Coconut Tree about?
Set in 1948, eighteen-year-old Bluey Guthrie leaves his family in Australia to take the job of a lifetime on a remote island in the Central Pacific. Bill and Isobel, seasoned ex-pats help Bluey fit in to a privileged world of parties, dances and sport.
However, the underbelly of island life soon draws him in. Bluey struggles to understand the horrors left behind after the Japanese occupation, the rising fear of communism, and the appalling conditions of the Native and Chinese workers. All this is overseen by the white colonial power brutalising the land for Phosphate: the new gold.
Isobel has her own demons and watches as Bill battles to keep growing unrest at bay. Drinking and gambling are rife. As racial tensions spill over causing a trail of violence, bloodshed and murder, Bluey is forced to face the most difficult choices of his life.
I’m proud of my debut and in the years since, I’ve written and published three more books.
Out of Nowhere: A collection of short stories published in 2017
A quirky and delightful mix of short stories taking the reader into unexpected territory.
A Perfect Stone published in 2018
A sweeping tale of love and loss, an old man’s suppressed memories resurface after a stroke. He finally confronts what happened when, as a ten-year-old, he was forced at gunpoint to leave his family and trek barefoot through the mountains to escape the Greek Civil War in 1948.
The Good Child published in 2021
Rich in detail and epic in scope, The Good Child is a powerful novel of emotional and financial resilience, loss and unexpected friendship between two women.
So yeah, I guess I’ve been a little busy. No wonder time has flown.
S.C. Karakaltsas 